This is an invitation to discover several new great reads. I'm reflecting on my favorites published in 2024. I enjoy championing eclectic works by acclaimed as well as new authors in stories about social justice and the natural world. Whether these stories peak your own interests or seem fitting gifts, I hope you find interesting choices below.
James by Percival Everett is a radiant adaptation from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The enslaved character Jim narrates with lyrical wit, suspense, and a deep sense of adventure, especially in the wilderness along the Mississippi River. James celebrates the intellectual power of reading as well as code switching language with provocative reckoning of racism; beware of brutal racial slurs from the 1830s era. This story is intended to serve as a respectful conversation with Mark Twain. Everett is a Distinguished Professor of English at University of Southern California, a Guggenheim Fellow, and has earned many book awards; most recently James was awarded the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize. His earlier novel Erasure became the major film American Fiction.
Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky is an intensely suspenseful mystery. A fictionalized and grittier Lawrence, Kansas is literally a character in the newest of the V.I. Warshawski private eye mystery series. And Lawrence Public Library is generously highlighted in several scenes! Vic (V.I. Warshawski) gets drawn into a tightly woven investigation involving murder, fentanyl drug abuse, and deceitful land developers. In spite of suffering post-traumatic stress and being extremely weary, our heroine prevails as wry and intrepid as ever. If you enjoy riveting noir, I encourage you to pick this up even if you haven't read any previous works by celebrated author Sara Paretsky. She grew up in Lawrence, but now lives in Chicago. Her writing has earned both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain.
Masquerade by O. O. Sangoyomi is a visually descriptive story arc set in 15th century pre-colonial West Africa and inspired by the author's Yoruba heritage and rich historical finds. In this feminist retelling, loosely inspired by Persephone and Hades, women are blacksmiths. Their skill in creating weapons which are necessary in their warrior culture, makes them feared; they are derogatorily named "witches". While featuring an unlikely heroine, this is a vivid lens to glean untold history. 19-year-old heroine Òdòdó apprentices as a blacksmith with her mom. Failing to heed cautions, she is abducted by the king and his soldiers. She might become the king's royal bride. And with much dark royal court intrigue, she could forge her own future! Author Oyin (O.O.) Sangoyomi is a Nigerian American with a passion for African mythology and history. And this is her debut.
We Need No Wings by Ann Dávila Cardinal is a laugh-out-loud, uplifting, and magical travel adventure featuring Tere Sanchez, a relatable 60-year-old woman exploring her connections to Saint Teresa of Ávila Spain. They share more than family heritage. Tere is amazed to discover the Saint's journals reveal she frequently levitated. Tere wants to understand why she suddenly seems to be experiencing levitation -- all while facing mid-life, and grieving her husband's death just a year ago. So she decides to travel to Ávila, Spain to learn more about Saint Teresa. Tere is vulnerable, yet confident, and funny; she vibrates with authentic emotion; this is excellent autofiction and a story of age positivity! Author AnnDávila Cardinal refers to herself as a Gringo-Rican tattooed punk. She has Puerto Rican heritage and is distantly related to Saint Teresa of Ávila. She has earned International Latino Book Awards for Latine-centered stories for both adult and young adult audiences in various genres, including coming-of-age, horror, and paranormal mysteries. I'm compelled to include her quote in Tor.com: "magical realism is the literary movement of the colonized, and Puerto Rico is the longest lasting colony in the history of the world.
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich is rich in humor and heart, with a deep sense of place along the Red River Valley in North Dakota set in 2008 during the sugar beet harvest in a small rural community. There is concerted reckoning on farm practices we all must heed for a more resilient future. Erdrich connects the land, wildlife, and people (Ojibwa and more) with cinematic drama and dialogue between flawed and fully-dimensional characters. I am in grateful aww for this author's skill with conversations between quirky friends, family, and more community members to cause me to belly laugh! At its heart center, this is a reckoning for the mighty Red River; the epigraph pays homage to this river which runs across Winnipeg and North Dakota. This book is dedicated "To those who love birds and defend their place on Earth". Louise Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. She owns Birchbark Books & Native Arts, a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis, established in 2001. She has earned much acclaim for her writing, including the Pulitzer Prize for The Night Watchman, the National Book Award for The Round House. And she recently spoke at Haskell Indian Nations University to celebrate this latest book! Thanks to the Yogalattes Book Club, we have a book club in a bag set available for book clubs!
Clear by Carys Davies is a wise and succinctly written quiet historical adventure for lovers of wild natural lands (1840s Scottish Isles), complexity in relationships, and language -- especially the depth and nuance of the meaning of certain words. Each character (Mary, John, Ivar) shares mostly interior thoughts; even as they reveal feelings for one another, they are each alone. And the greater natural world is most powerful. See notes at the back of the book. The author is reckoning with real events. The rural poor were being forcibly removed from their homes in the small islands of Orkney, Shetland, and also the Highlands; this was known as the clearances and went on from 1750-1860. The potato blight in 1846 led to famine and many people immigrated to the United States, Canada, and Australia. At the same time was the great disruption in the Scottish church. The new Free Church formed as a rebellion against wealthy landowners taking control to select/install their choice parish ministers. Davies also thoughtfully references many words from the Norn language which was spoken by the displaced people.
There are more stories I am looking forward to. At the top of my stack is the complex and lyrical novel There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak; this is the newest from the formidable author of The Island of Missing Trees.
Peruse my whole harvest of books for your heart and mind, opens a new window. An expression of deep gratitude for my favorites among books published in 2024, yet acknowledging more excellent books to be read.
May you find hope renewed in community and books with enriching transitions from this season into the new year!
Acknowledgements
My gratitude to each of the authors and publishers for sharing advance access to review each book.
-Shirley Braunlich is a Readers’ Services Assistant at Lawrence Public Library.
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